What's the Worst that Could Happen?
by Vivian Tanner
Summary: While just heading out the fellowship stop to rest, and get to know each other a bit more. Soon their stop becomes a way for the older members to toy with the younger members of their newly formed group, but will they take the joking to far? First LOTC.


**Rating**: K

**Summary**: _While just heading out the fellowship stop to rest, and get to know each other a bit more. Soon their stop becomes a way for the older members to toy with the younger members of their newly formed group, but will they take the joking to far? What are these brave heroes really afraid of?_

**Characters**: All nine, mainly Pippin and Sam.

**A/N: **Originally wrote in response to the October monthly challenge for the _Free Spirits_ yahoo group. Subject- fear. This was my first LOTR fiction, so please keep that in mind when you review.

What's the Worst Thing That Could Happen?

By Vivian Tanner

"Oh come on can't we stop yet, we haven't eating in almost three hours? Have you never heard of second breakfast . . . or lunch?" Pippin couldn't take it anymore, the group had only been on the journey . . . quest . . . thing, for three days but he was beginning to wish he had not jumped at the chance to go. These humans just went and went with no thought of eating more then twice a day, and the elf and dwarf weren't any better they seemed to be able to go for days without a break. When his question again went unanswered he decided enough was enough.

"Listen you can just keep going, but I'm stopping to have lunch," and with that announcement Pippin did just that, he stopped. He stopped however right in front of Sam who, being as tired  
as Pippin, did not see the other stop till it was to late. The two young hobbits ended up in a pile on the ground at the feet of Legolas, who had turned to see what the little hobbit was going on  
about.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Yeah fine, just fine . . . meant to do that. Sam and I planned to do that. Right Sam?" Pippin was in the process of untangling himself, with the help of the elf prince, when he realized that his fellow hobbit was being strangely quieter then normal. "Sam? Are you alright?"  
"What? Oh yes, just fine. Sorry Pip, let me get up from here . . . Oh, thank you." Sam was still getting use to the other members of their group, out of all of them he seemed to like Legolas  
and Aragorn the most. The Ranger had won his respect and friendship when he had saved Frodo, but the elf had done nothing so grand to earn the little farmers friendship. Legolas had simply treated them like he did all of those in his race, to the elf prince these four young hobbits were simply extended cousins in his very large family.  
Sam respected that, it was not uncommon for hobbits to be treated like children by the other races, to see one of such standing not following the tradition was a blessing on this trip. After helping the two hobbits to their feet, and leaving them in the care of their friends and Gandalf, Legolas approached the two humans who made up part of the Fellowship. "Estel we need to stop,  
you are running them to exhaustion . . . we can not keep up this pace if you wish the whole Fellowship to reach Mordor."  
"We can't keep stopping, everyday we get delayed the dark forces get closer to Gondor's gates." Boromir still could not see why they needed the Halflings surely they could have traveled quicker with out them. They only needed the ring bearer, even he could have stayed, someone else could have carried the ring. "If they can not keep up, perhaps they should go back to Rivendell."  
"We will not leave them behind, I promised Frodo I would see this through till the end." Looking back at his four young charges Aragorn realized that he was going to have to change how the group had been working so far, or his fear of not making it there together could come true. "Legolas is right, we should stop for a while, let the little ones rest. I need to speak with Gandalf anyways."  
Moving back to the group Aragon was greeted with the sight of Gimli trying to help Frodo start a fire so that they could try and cook something for lunch. When he noticed that Sam was no where to be seen he began to worry again. "Where's Sam and Pippin?"  
"They went off that way, something about needing a break."  
Merry was looking in the direction that Gimli just pointed. Sensing that something was wrong with the two wonderers Legolas quickly volunteered to go track them down, leaving the others to set up camp, and plan out what was to happen tomorrow.

VT VT VT VT VT VT VT VT

"I can't do this Sam, I know we promised to stick it out together, but I can't keep going like this. I miss our home, and our family. I miss the Green Dragon."  
"I know Pip, I feel the same way, but we promised Mr. Frodo. We told Lord Elrond that we wanted to go on this trip, we can't back out now." Sam had followed Pippin away from the group to make sure that his friend didn't get into any trouble, he wasn't sure how but it seemed like bad things just happened to Pippin for the simple fact that it was Pippin. When he found him sitting on a fallen tree staring off into the distance he had sat down with him to see what was troubling the Took. "Look at it this way the man from Gondor is just waiting for us to give up we can't do that now can we? We can't let them think that hobbits were just to weak and scared to help in  
saving Middle Earth."  
"You really worry about that? What they would think of us?"  
"Pippin, what do you think would happen if when this is over everyone thinks that hobbits are just scarred little children who like to eat, drink and raise gardens?"  
"They would go on ignoring us like they've always done?" Pippin couldn't see where this was going, but since he rarely heard the other hobbit talk this much he wasn't about to stop his friend.  
"No, they would decided to see what we have in the Shire that makes us not want to leave, to go venturing out in the world. They would come to our homes and treat us like children in front of our families and friends. Do you really want that? Aren't you afraid of what could happen if we don't finish this?" Sam couldn't believe that none of the others had thought about this, it was like this was a game to them, when it was done they would all just go home and move on with their lives. There had to be something Pippin was afraid of, or he wouldn't be out here.  
"Actually I'm more afraid of them forgetting to let us eat then not making it at all. I mean we have Aragorn, Gandalf and have you seen Legolas practicing with his bows, with them around what could go wrong Sam,?"  
Just then Legolas chose to step out of the shadows he had been sitting in listening to the two missing members of the Fellowship. He could tell that their fears were starting to get to them, and that they were really more afraid of the others seeing that, then anything actually happening. Maybe it was time for a story to help them realize that it was okay to be afraid, even the bravest  
men knew this . . . or at least they did now.  
"I hope I'm not interrupting, but may I join you?" Legolas didn't want to force them to listen to him, he had a feeling they were getting enough of that from the others. I really must talk to  
those men about how they treat the Halflings. "I saw you walk away and thought a break from all of the stress back there would be nice."  
"Sure, if you don't mind cowering with two sad little scared kids." Pippin was truly feeling bad now, before he was only hungry, but after listening to Sam he was wondering what lay ahead for them.  
"If I wanted to spend time with two little scared kids I would have stayed back at the camp, remember in Elvin years Aragorn and Boromir are still children to me."  
"Yeah but those two are anything but scared." Sam couldn't believe what he just hear the elf say, Aragorn scared, didn't he know who he was talking about? "Aragorn went after those Ringwraiths like they were mad dogs."  
"In my father's kingdom we teach most of our history through stories, would you like to hear one? I think it may help you to understand why it's okay to feel the way you both do right now." Legolas waited for the two friends to make up their minds, as he watched he could see their brains working on his offer, after only a few moments he received his answer.  
"That sounds nice, maybe we'll learn a new one to tell when we get back to the Shire. Frodo loves nothing more then to tell stories at the Green Dragon to the others in our village." Sam stopped to smile at the memory of one such night, then his smile turned sad as he remembered Rosie. Oh will I ever see her again?  
"There was a young boy who was also going through the training to be a protector of the forests. No matter what his teachers told him he refused to believe that anything could hurt him. He was of royal blood, and was meant to help people, he would say that this meant that he was invincible. One day he came upon another young man who was going through the training, together they came to handle anything that was thrown their way. They soon became brothers in everyway but blood, though they were so close at times it seemed like they had managed to cross the barrier. Finally they came to the stage of their trail to adulthood, when they came to face their test the second boy stopped, scared to go on, to fail and disgrace his father, where as the first boy knew that he could only succeed. What do you two think happened?"  
At this point in the tale Pippin and Sam had become so involved in listening that they almost did not realize that the Prince was talking to them. They seemed to consider their answer first before, after nodding in agreement, Sam answered for the two of them.  
"The scared boy failed because he let his fear get the best of him, while the confident one succeeded because he knew he would."

"That is what you would think, yes? However no, that's not what happened, you see since the second boy was scared of failing, he took his time and thought about every action before he carried it out. He left nothing to chance, and so he succeeded in his task." Legolas waited for the shocked expressions to leave the faces in front of him before he carried one. "Where as the first boy being so sure of himself just jumped head first into the task not paying attention to what was going on around him and ended up failing the task twice before he also completed it."  
"But Legolas, that doesn't make any sense. You're saying that it's good be scared, that it helps you?" Pippin could not understand this story, Legolas was telling them that the way they felt would help them, how could that be?  
"Yes, see feeling fear means that you're mortal and smart. If you go through life thinking that you are invincible eventually something will come along and proof you wrong. So do you feel like going back to camp? When I left Gimli and Frodo were going through the supplies planning dinner."  
"What!? They were touching my supplies those two will ruin dinner, come on Pip we need to get back. Are you coming Legolas or did you want to stay out here a bit more? I remember Bilbo saying how much Elves loved the forest."  
"We do, but I've learned to be happy in other venues as well. Let's head back before the others come looking for us."  
The three started back, two feeling better for knowing that they were acting exactly like they should, and the third happy that he had been able to help his new friends out. Just as they neared the camp Pippin asked a question that had been bothering him since hearing the tale of the two boys.  
"Legolas, did the first boy ever learn to use his fear to think things out, or did he keep going through life taking several tries to succeed at things?"  
"That my young friend is a good question, yes he did eventually learn to think before-."  
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! !!!! It's a spider! Get it off! Get it off!" Pippin had been so involved in listening to Legolas he had not seen the spider web in front of him before it was to late.  
"Calm down Pip it's just a little spider, here stop moving so we can get it off of you."  
As Sam and Legolas calmed the young hobbit down and clear the web from his face, they heard a battle cry and then a crashing sound. Before their eyes Aragorn came flying through the trees, sword drawn to fight whatever had attacked Pippin, only what he meet instead was the small stream that flowed between the three observers and the would be rescuer.  
SPLASH  
"To answer your question Pip, he did eventually learn to think before he acts, but as you can see he occasionally lapses back into his old ways."  
With that the three new laughing friends continued on to the camp leaving a soaked and confused Ranger in their wake.

**A/N: **Please review and let me know what you think, good or bad I appreciate you taking the time to type something down.


End file.
